As students return to class, so does the conversation about cellphones in New Jersey schools.

In his January State of the State address, Gov. Phil Murphy said he supports phone-free schools.

“Every parent knows the damage that these devices can cause,” Murphy said. “Enough is enough. It is time for action.”

New Jersey’s Commission on the Effects of Social Media Usage on Adolescents is looking into the effects of phones in schools.

“The presence of the phone itself excites the kid’s need to check the phone,” said Charles Gelinas, the commission’s chairman. “And there have actually been studies on this that have shown that kids, even when the phone is off, are wondering, ‘What is the next notification going to be?’”

There’s $3 million in grants in this year’s budget for school districts to go phone-free.

RELATED: Ramsey School District sees early success with going phone-free in classrooms

This year, the Montclair School District has implemented a new “off and away policy.”

Students can’t keep their phones on hand. The policy even discourages parents from communicating with students during the day. It allows students to collect and use their phones during emergencies.

Earlier this week, two children were shot and killed inside the church of a Minneapolis Catholic School.

Gelinas says a lack of communication during the unthinkable is one of the biggest concerns he hears from fellow parents.

“I totally understand this. They come to me and say, ‘They have to have their phone when there’s an emergency,’” Gelinas said. “I fully understand the concerns, but the phone won’t help a child in an emergency. They should either be watchful for themselves and their friends, or they should be listening to teachers, administrators and first responders.”

In Middletown, high schoolers can keep their devices on hand, but they must be off. Westfield lets students use their phones during lunch.

Ramsey High School took one of the biggest steps in January, requiring students to lock their phones in pouches called “Yondr” that can only be unlocked with a proprietary base.

New York is now requiring statewide bell-to-bell restrictions on the use of smartphones in schools. The governor’s commission plans to issue its New Jersey recommendation later this year.